Behind the Sky
by Moonlight Music Mistress
Summary: There's more than one reason Shikamaru likes to stare at clouds. Fluff. ShikaIno.


Behind the Sky

Shikamaru x Ino

Well, here comes another crappy fanfic. I promise you that I'll write a good one these days. I know quality is better than quantity. You're lucky I'm getting back in the swing of fanfictions, though! I can guarantee that this short oneshot will be short. Well, duh. And I can guarantee that it will be sweet, fluffy, and probably bad. But you can forgive me, right? (I feel like I've said that more times than I should.)

* * *

"Goodbye, Shikamaru!" a woman called cheerfully. "Try to have fun!"

Shikamaru nodded at her, half-smiled, and left the house, heading towards the Academy, where he volunteered to help children on Friday afternoons who were struggling with certain skills. Some days, he felt wonderful to help out those who needed a bit of extra practice. Other days, however, he completely dreaded it and would rather be sleeping. This day fell into the latter category.

Trudging along, Shikamaru glanced at the sky. _The clouds look nice today_, he noticed. _I wish I could go to sleep under them._

He couldn't, though. He had a duty. Even if it was a volunteer obligation, it was still an obligation. Shikamaru felt compelled to help these children. What if his children needed the same help? Would he back down because he was tired? Nara Shikamaru had to grin and bear it. Besides, it was a Friday. He could go home and do whatever he wanted.

Arriving at the Academy, Shikamaru sighed. _Let the day begin._

When he stepped into the doors, Shikamaru looked at all of the kids sitting there enthusiastically, waiting to learn more from Shikamaru. He forced a small smile and studied the eight-through-ten-year-olds. They all looked so optimistic, so excited, so eager to learn. Shikamaru realized then and there that he couldn't really relate. He'd never had much motivation or spirit. Heck, he usually couldn't keep his eyes open. But here, he looked at their grinning, beaming faces. Then, he greeted them with a wave and shifted on his feet. He paused for a moment.

"Let's head outside and start practicing."

With that, the kids erupted into loud cheers.

It was a long day. By the time Shikamaru had ended the session, it was 3:00 PM. He was tired, bored, and all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep. His home was about two miles away, and he didn't feel like walking the entire way home without stopping for a rest. He was, after all, extremely exhausted. Those kids weren't very easy to handle.

So, in the end, he stopped after about a mile and a quarter and found a little hill. Flowers were blooming from it, and there wasn't a tree in sight. Stopping here, Shikamaru lowered himself to the ground and rested his back on the hill. It was his cloud-watching place for as long as he could remember. _I won't be too late this time_, Shikamaru thought. _I won't stay here for longer than a half hour._

As he relaxed, he stared at the sky. When was the last time he didn't look at the clouds? He'd been doing it routinely for as long as he could remember. Ever since he was a little boy, he'd found solace in the clouds. They drifted him off to another world, a huge landscape where no troubles existed and there was nothing to worry about. It relaxed him, it calmed him, it made him feel exuberant and at ease. Every battle he'd fought, every companion he'd seen die. Every hardship. Every problem. They escaped from him completely when he stared up at the sky.

Yes, the clouds took away all of Shikamaru's troubles. But what else did they do? They replaced them with lovely thoughts. Thoughts of happiness, and peace, and joy. And love.

When Shikamaru had had an emotional breakdown after battling Tayuya, he had immediately unleashed his stress by staring at the painted blue sky. He'd done the same when his beloved sensei, Asuma, died. And both times, not only did he feel better. He also got a new thought in his head. A thought of a girl. The girl he'd subconsciously think about every time he looked at the sky was enough to melt away all of his troubles.

Now, though, he was the husband to a wonderful woman. Getting married had taken his troubles away. He felt on top of the world now that he was a married man, and the only time he ever really needed to unwind was when he was under stress. Thus, the lack of troubles on his back led Shikamaru to not need to stare at the clouds as often. He still loved to do it, however. It was routine for him.

But was routine the only reason? Still, every time he stared at the clouds, he thought of her. His wife. He supposed that routine had, in actuality, very little to do with why he looked at the clouds. As he lay there after a very stressful day, he let his mind escape. He set it free. He thought of her again, and he smiled genuinely.

He could almost see her face in the clouds. She'd been the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he'd been in love with her since the moment he saw her. Also, hidden beneath the white puffs, were the faces of Mieko and Yukito. He saw their smiling faces; Mieko's curly blonde locks and Yukito's toothless, beaming smile. The thought made his grin expand.

Shikamaru then felt ready to go home. He steadily rose to his feet and stared at the sky all the way home. All the while, he saw his wife, Mieko, and Yukito in the clouds. The real reason he skywatched so often.

He finally opened the door to his house and stepped inside. "Honey, I'm home!"

Nara Ino smiled at her husband as she descended down the stairs, planting a tender kiss on Shikamaru's lips. She was holding three-month-old Yukito in her arms, rocking him gently back and forth. Shikamaru smiled at his son, and Yukito smiled back, extending his arms and touching his father's face with his chubby hands.

Suddenly, four-year-old Mieko came racing down the stairs. "Hey, Daddy! How was school today? Did you teach the kids? How are you feeling?"

Shikamaru kissed his daughter's hair, hugged her, and grinned at her. "You're just like your mother."

Mieko seemed to accept this response. She smiled and raced back upstairs to play with her dolls.

With one last gentle smile, Yukito finally fell asleep. Shikamaru noted the serenity and love on his face as he gently slumbered in his mother's arms. Ino kissed Shikamaru's cheek and then brought Yukito up to his crib, her hand on his brown hair as she lowered him down to sleep.

Shikamaru's mouth was smiling brightly, but not as brightly as his eyes. "What're you so happy about?" Ino asked, a smile with equal radiance on her face.

Shikamaru climbed into bed, and Ino followed suit. They weren't going to sleep. Just laying there, talking. Watching TV, listening for the kids. "You."

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Yay! I'm glad I wrote that. It didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. Review, please! I want this to be Shikamaru and Ino's future.


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